Buckley: Board Committed to Seeing Redevelopment Through

The , and , Kenrick Plaza redevelopment project remains in limbo, but Shrewsbury Mayor Felicity Buckley has reaffirmed her support for the project.

“While we have had significant set backs, the majority of the Board and I remain hopeful, and committed to seeing the project through,” Buckley wrote in a message to Shrewsbury residents.

However, Buckley went on to confirm that negotiations with developer G J Grewe and revisions to the proposed site plan were both still ongoing. In November Grewe said the site plan needed revising to avoid “years of litigation” over the plaza’s placement near the guy-wires of a nearby radio tower. However, the awkward landscape of the area appears to have stalled the project longer than originally planned.

“Because of the possible changes to the project, all parties involved agreed that the TIF public hearing should be postponed,” Buckley wrote.

Despite the board’s hopes to move beyond the project’s setbacks, Buckley said that it would be necessary to approach the city’s 2013 budget on the assumption that the project would not go through. The first cost/benefit analysis of the Walmart-anchored redevelopment , starting in March of 2013. Instead, the board will have to make tough choices to bring down the city’s deficit.

According to the letter, the board is planning two all-day work sessions to discuss ways to reduce the deficit, and the city will host a town hall to answer resident questions about their findings.